


The Greatest Gift

by ialwayslikedthetie



Series: First Times [26]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Blow Jobs, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Smut, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Frottage, Gen, Hand Jobs, Holidays, Idiots in Love, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Oral Sex, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 01:50:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13203171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ialwayslikedthetie/pseuds/ialwayslikedthetie
Summary: Steve comes to Danny's rescue on Christmas Eve, and Danny gives him a gift in return





	The Greatest Gift

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to get this out on Xmas eve but I was delayed due to baby lol. At least I got it out this year! :D 
> 
> Thank you so much to lcdrsuperseal for beta-ing this for me this morning when he should have been working in his own stuff :P
> 
> Enjoy, and Mele Kalikimaka!

“ _ I need your help! _ ”

Danny's voice seemed a little more panicked than Steve would have liked, and he frowned as he stood from where he'd been sprawled on his couch, beer in one hand and his phone pressed to his ear with the other.

“What's up, Danno? Whaddya need?” he asked, ready to spring into action. Danny sounded like he was in real trouble, and Steve was gearing up to get aid to his best friend. Whatever the crisis, he would be there for Danny.

“ _ I need you to come over. Bring tape and scissors… and tinsel. _ ”

Steve paused, confused, and his initial reaction to the odd request was to grin and tease his partner. “Sounds kinky!”

“ _ Shuddup, Steven, _ ” Danny grumbled, “ _ C’mon, I really need your help here! _ ”

Steve straightened himself up again. It was almost 11pm on Christmas Eve and Danny sounded far from calm and collected. It had been a tough year for the blonde, having only recently found out that he had a four-year-old son - whom he had believed to be Stan’s little boy - with his ex wife, and then he'd had to undergo several painful operations to donate bone marrow to Charlie in order to save his life. He'd also broken up with his girlfriend, Melissa, over the whole ordeal.

It was going to be Danny's first Christmas with his son, and Steve couldn't help but guess that fact had something to do with the urgency of the phone call.

“No worries, I'll be right there. I just gotta find the stuff first, okay?”

“ _ Thank you, Steve, _ ” Danny sighed, his relief evident in his tone, and Steve hung up before dashing through to the office and gathering up two rolls of sticky tape and some scissors.

The tinsel was going to be harder to come by, as he hadn't bothered decorating his house this year knowing he would be on his own, and so the Christmas supplies were still in boxes in the spare room. It took him a good twenty minutes to find the right box, but he managed to get hold of some lengths of tinsel and a couple of reels of wide ribbon. Soon he was throwing himself into the Silverado and was on his way to his partner's house.

Danny flung open the door seconds after Steve knocked, and the SEAL’s mouth dropped open when he followed the blonde into the kitchen to find a mountain of gifts covering the table.

Danny was in a mild state of panic, flapping over the unorganised heap and totally unable to work out where to start. It was his own fault, he'd bought too much and left it until the last minute, but nothing had seemed right and now he just felt lost.

Calling Steve had been the first thing that had come to mind - however much his partner drove him crazy sometimes, Danny knew that Steve would always be the man he went to in a crisis.

“Wow, Danno,” Steve shook his head, dropping the supplies he'd brought on the table before taking in the shell-shocked look on his friend's face. “Um, are you okay?”

Danny ran his hands through his hair before picking at the t-shirt he was wearing. “I have way too much to wrap,” he explained in a rush, “And the kids are coming at 9am tomorrow… but that's where  _ you _ come in.”

He pointed at Steve like he was the answer to everything, and the brunette frowned.

“Okay…” he mumbled, glancing around the kitchen and noticing the mostly-empty cafetiere on the counter. “Uh, how much coffee have you had, Danny?”

“Never you mind that,” the detective waved a distracted hand at him, snapping up a roll of wrapping paper and shoving it into Steve's hand, “Come on, I need your skills here!” He grabbed a roll of his own and shuffled through some gifts, trying to find a good one to start with.

Steve looked down at the colourful paper in his hand. “I hate to break it to you, but I'm terrible at wrapping…”

Danny paused, his chest beginning to feel tight again. “What? But that's  _ why _ I called you!”

Steve shrugged. “I dunno what to say. I mean, I can try to help? I thought you just needed the supplies.”

Danny's hands flew out in exasperation. “Are you being serious? I figured you'd be able to… I dunno, speed wrap or something?”

Steve frowned. “Why would you think that?”

“You're a Navy SEAL!” the shorter man exclaimed, “You can kill a man in six different ways with your little finger! You telling me you can't wrap a box?!”

“Seven, actually,” Steve corrected, “But funnily enough they trained us for combat, rather than filling in for Santa’s elves! I did my basic training in the US, not Lapland!”

Danny made a slightly choked noise, the stress beginning to give him a headache again. “Hey, hey, I didn't say I  _ wouldn't _ help though, huh?” Steve put his hands out in a calming motion, like Danny was a lunatic that was about to go postal… and maybe he was by this stage. The Navy man hated seeing his best friend - the man he secretly loved - in this sort of state. “Come on, first things first, let's organise this stuff.”

They spent a few minutes dividing the presents into Grace's and Charlie’s, clearing the table for use, and Steve couldn't believe quite how many things there were; Danny must have spent a ridiculous amount. Then Danny placed two rolls of red paper next to his daughter's pile and two rolls of green next to his son's, so that they would be able to tell them apart once wrapped.

The two men made a new batch of coffee - despite Danny's obviously pre-caffeinated state - and then began rolling out paper and cutting it to size. They both received their fair share of papercuts and Danny managed to slice his finger on the scissors twice, but roughly two and a half hours later the guys were looking at two beautifully wrapped piles of gifts.

Steve crossed his arms and grinned, picking carefully at a three-inch length of tape that had stuck itself to his forearm. “Looks like we make a great team, Danno. Those elves have nothing on us!”

Danny sighed, really beginning to feel his exhaustion coming on. “Thank god it's done…”

He looked at all the presents and felt his shoulders sag as his heart sank.

“It's not enough though…”

Steve blinked a couple of times and cast his eyes over the seemingly millions of items they'd just wrapped.

“Not  _ enough _ ? Danny, I'm pretty sure you've bought out Waikiki’s supply of toys here, buddy…”

Danny rubbed his face in frustration, unable to voice what he really meant. He felt so much like he'd let Charlie down, not being there for him as he grew, and however much he'd bought for the boy - which he'd then had to balance with more presents for Grace, of course - none of it seemed like it would be enough to apologise for his absence.

He hugged his arm around his torso protectively and scrubbed at his stubble with one hand, feeling utterly dejected. “I can't make it up to him…”

Steve approached his friend, noting the obviously tense muscles across the shorter man's shoulders, and slipped his large hands over them from behind to squeeze.

“You know he doesn't mind, buddy,” he tried to reassure Danny, beginning to work his thumbs into the knots in his shoulders, “It's not all about presents at his age. All of Christmas is magical for a four-year-old.”

Danny shook his head and took a deep breath, feeling his shoulders begin to relax under Steve's talented hands despite the whirlwind of thoughts in his head.

“Yeah, but I wasn't there. I shoulda been there, and I wasn't.”

Steve used his grip on Danny's shoulders and turned the blonde to face him, capturing his gaze.

“Hey, you listen to me. It's not your fault, okay?”

Danny visibly flinched at the words, looking down and away from Steve, and the SEAL knew he'd hit the nail on the head there. His friend was feeling guilty, blaming himself when he wasn't responsible, and there was no way Steve was going to allow that to happen.

“I shoulda been there…” Danny mumbled.

“How were you to know, huh?” Steve pressed, lifting Danny's face by placing a hand under his jaw, making him meet his eyes again before letting his hand fall away to Danny's bicep. “Rachel told you Charlie wasn't yours, and you had no reason not to believe her. You would have been there for him if you'd known, and it's really shit how this has all worked out with Charlie being ill, but you've got him now, yeah?”

Danny nodded, biting his lower lip. “I know, I just…”

Maybe it was the early hour or the fact that he was beyond tired, maybe it was the fact that he had been wallowing in negative thoughts all day and he knew he could trust his best friend, the man he loved, to understand him… but Danny felt the honesty just pour out of him, relieving his burden even as he spoke the words.

“I don't know what to do, Steve… I feel like I've failed him… I feel like I'm some consolation prize. He had Stan who could buy him pretty much anything he wanted and more, and now it turns out Stan isn't his father and instead he gets me, some guy who can't even afford the pile of crap gifts he's got for him and who he barely even knows!”

Steve shook his head, speaking softly. “Danno, you've done so much for that kid since you found out he was yours. You've given him bone marrow, spent all your free time with him and Grace, you've done your best!” He waved a hand at the pile of presents. “You don't need to buy him stuff to try to get him to love you. That will happen on its own, if it hasn't already!”

Danny looked over at the colourful boxes and marvelled at how well his partner knew him, once again. He'd been over-compensating big time for what he felt was a failing on his part, but Steve was right - how could he have known?

Now, looking at Charlie and his mop of blonde hair and cheeky grin, Danny could see the resemblance like a punch to the gut. It was obvious that child was his, now that he knew. But he'd trusted Rachel when she had told him the baby was Stan’s, and that was the only real mistake he'd made in all of this.

“Hey,” Steve continued, an affectionate smile on his face as he squeezed Danny's shoulders again, “At least you were there for his birth, right?”

Danny chuckled, feeling a bit lighter. “Yeah. Yeah, you're right,” he nodded, glad he hadn't lost out on that opportunity, even if he had thought he'd been helping Rachel deliver another man's child.

Steve gazed at his friend, the way his blue eyes shone with emotion and vulnerability, and his chest tightened. That man meant the world to him, and he would never understand why Danny didn't see just how special he was.

“You're an amazing dad, Danno. You can see that with how great a kid Grace is. And Charlie is young, you still have time.” His voice dropped to little more than a whisper when Danny turned his face back to him and met his gaze again, trying to let the Jersey man see that he meant every word of what he was saying. “That boy is gonna love you, no matter what. It's impossible not to.”

The corner of Danny's lips turned upward, and he couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. Steve was inches away, such an earnest expression on his face, and there seemed to be something more solid and tangible between them now… something he hadn't had the courage to look for before.

“Impossible, huh?” he asked.

His heart lifted when he saw that slow smile spread over Steve's lips, and the way those hazel eyes flickered briefly down to his own mouth. He'd wanted that man for so long, and the idea that his best friend might feel the same way was making his heart race.

“Completely,” Steve breathed out, licking his lips in anticipation.

There had always had something between them; chemistry, magnetism, something they had continually fought for some unknown reason. But Steve could feel his walls crumbling, and the way Danny had opened his soul up tonight had only solidified the SEAL’s feelings for his friend. He loved Danny Williams.

Danny swallowed hard, unable to think about anything but kissing Steve, but he was frozen to the spot and unable to move. Scared. His brain went into overdrive in the three seconds they stood staring at one another, and of course it went to the most negative place imaginable because that's what his mind always did.

He saw himself kissing Steve, maybe even them making love, and then the kids showing up in the morning to find out that Danno and Uncle Steve were finally together now. And they hated it, thought it was too weird for two men to be together. He and Steve might still try to give it a go, but their relationship would interfere with work, make them unable to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. They would lose criminals because they were fighting, miss key clues because they were too busy making gooey eyes at one another, and eventually they would have to break it off, or one of them would have to quit. There would be sour feelings, blame where there should be none, and they would wind up hating one another…

This was the talk Danny gave himself whenever he felt like giving in to his feelings over Steve. And it worked every time.

Steve closed his eyes, gearing up to dive forward and take those soft looking lips with his own, but he ripped them back open again when Danny cleared his throat and moved from under his hands.

“C’mere, we need to put this stuff under the tree,” the cop gestured to the heap of gifts, putting his hands on his hips so as to hide the shake in them from his need to reach back out for Steve.

The SEAL took a second to recover and then crossed his arms again. “Alright,” he agreed, focusing again on the task at hand, “But not all of them, just a few.”

He looked down at the tape on his arm and took hold of the corner, treating it like a bandaid and ripping some hairs out as it went. It helped to pull him back to reality.

Danny frowned at him. “What? But we've just wrapped them all!”

Steve shook his head. “You said it yourself, you can't afford it. So we put the best ones under the tree and we hide the rest so you can return them to the store later.”

Danny opened his mouth to argue but then closed it again and nodded, unable to deny the logic, but then gazed at the red and green boxes in despair. “How are we supposed to know which ones are which?”

Steve grinned cockily. “My Navy training is useful for one thing,” he tapped the side of his head, “I have a great memory!”

He went through each pile with Danny, naming the contents and letting the detective decide which three to pick for each child, and then between them they hid the rest and placed the remaining gifts carefully under the tree.

They stood and admired their handywork again, before Danny suddenly gasped.

“I almost forgot!” he grinned, before dashing out of the room and returning with a silver box tied with ribbon. He held it out to Steve. “It's technically Christmas day now, so I guess you can open it.”

Steve took the box and grumbled. “I didn't get you anything, Danny. We said we weren't doing gifts this year.”

“It's just something little to say thanks for… everything. Don't worry,” Danny waved his hand to show he didn't mind, “And feel free to tell me if you don't want it, I have the receipt so… yeah, whatever.”

Thing was, he was making it out to be nothing but Danny would probably die if Steve said he didn't like the gift. He just had to play it down somehow, because otherwise Steve might guess his partner's true feelings and realise that his best friend was, in fact, smitten with him. So he shrugged and pretended he wasn't handing over his heart in a shiny cardboard box.

Steve smiled at the shorter man and pulled open the ribbon. “I'm sure it's great,” he reassured him, not really knowing what to expect.

He carefully lifted the lid and placed it underneath before moving the tissue paper out of the way. Inside was a photo frame; it was dark wood, designed to go well with the decor in Steve's living room or maybe his office, and was high quality and expensive looking. But what had Steve's breath catching in his throat was the photo inside the frame. Him, Danny, Grace and Charlie sitting on the lanai.

He remembered it well, taken just a couple of months previously when Steve had hosted a cookout in honour of the last bone marrow operation for Danny and Charlie, to celebrate their recovery. He'd done a barbecue and everyone had brought a dish to the party; the whole day had been fantastic with the ohana in high spirits. Kono had gathered the four of them together on the chairs near the beach, Charlie in Danny's lap and Grace in Steve's, to get a memory of the day.

He'd never seen the photo, and had forgotten to ask for a copy. He regretted that now, because if he'd seen this picture before now then he might have done something sooner about him and Danny.

Steve bit his lip to hold back the multitude of emotions the bubbled up inside him. They looked like a family, beautiful and happy and perfect, and it was just too much.

Danny twisted his fingers together, waiting for a reaction from Steve. His partner had gone very quiet, and the expression on his face was disturbingly blank. Steve hated it, he must do.

Danny sighed and let his shoulders drop. “Steve, I-”

The moment Danny opened his mouth, Steve's resistance crumbled, and he reach out to grab the blonde's arm and pull him forwards, planting his lips directly on Danny's. He felt the detective freeze under his hand, heard the sharp intake of breath through Danny's nose, and for one heart-stopping second he thought he'd ruined everything.

Danny's hesitant reaction had been purely down to shock, because however much he'd been hoping Steve would like his gift, this hadn't quite been the expected result… but it was  _ glorious _ .

When Steve's lips were suddenly against his, all he could do was tense and gasp, his eyes shutting automatically, and then he felt Steve's hold on him loosening and the SEAL beginning to pull back slightly.

Hell no, no way was he letting this stop. Not now it was finally beginning.

Danny uncrossed his arms from around his ribs where they had been, looping them around Steve's waist and pulling his partner flush against him. He tilted his head a little to the side, opening his mouth and pressing it to Steve's, flicking his tongue tentatively across the divide of the brunette’s lips.

Steve took the hint, grabbing at Danny's shoulders even with the frame and box still clasped tightly in one hand, and pushing his tongue into the detective's mouth, renewing the kiss and throwing his all into it. He moved forward, turning them slightly before backing them up the few feet of distance until they hit the back of the sofa. He let his instincts and his desire guide his actions, finally allowed now that they had taken that step, and ground his crotch against his friend's.

Danny gasped at the friction, his fingers twisting into the fabric of Steve's t-shirt at the rush of need he felt inside his belly. He had fought all of this for way too long, always so afraid to let it happen and possibly destroy the good friendship they had, but he finally made the decision to give in completely to what he had been wanting all this time. Screw the consequences, he loved Steve McGarrett.

Danny put one hand behind him on the sofa back to help lift his ass up onto the edge. His legs hooked around Steve's, bringing him in close and rubbing their growing erections together through their jeans whenever Danny rocked his hips. Steve blindly laid the photo down on the end table and the two of them began to tug each other's t-shirts off over their heads, barely breaking the kiss as they bit at one another's lips and tangled their tongues together.

Danny broke the kiss to gasp in the air he so badly needed, and used the opportunity to thread his fingers into the back of Steve's short hair and tug his head to one side, leaving open-mouthed kisses down the side of his long, exposed throat.

Steve groaned and slid his hands around Danny's sides, under the waistband of his jeans and inside his boxers to grasp the firm globes of his ass and squeeze. The blonde's reaction was to buck forward and create more friction between them, leaving them both gasping.

“Fuck,” Danny breathed out, drawing back even as Steve ducked down to nip at his collarbone. He registered that they were still in his living room and that, if they were about to do what he thought they were about to do, they couldn't risk leaving evidence when the kids were due in just a few hours.

He pulled at Steve's hair again, and the taller man gave him a confused look.

“Bedroom, now,” Danny growled, and his heart beat that bit faster when Steve grinned excitedly.

“Giving me orders now, huh, Danno?” Steve licked his lips and lowered his eyelashes, “I like it….”

Then he grabbed Danny's hand to haul him through the house, barely giving the cop time to swipe up their t-shirts from where they had fallen. They made it into the bedroom where Danny dropped the shirts and kicked the door shut behind them, and he slipped his hand around the back of Steve's neck to pull him back into the kiss, immediately sliding his tongue back into his friend's mouth.

Steve's hands were quickly on his jeans fly, tearing the button open and working the zip down with frenzied dexterity. Danny attacked his partner's jeans with equal fervour, getting them open to reveal black cotton boxers which covered a large bulge. He pulled back and looked down, feeling his mouth water with the need to taste what Steve had to offer, and the SEAL let out a choked groan as Danny suddenly dropped to his knees on the floor in front of him, hooking his fingers into Steve's waistband and pulling down his jeans and boxers as one. His cock sprang up as it was released, and he had barely stepped out of his clothes before Danny was running one hand up his leg and slipping his fingers around the brunette’s throbbing erection.

Danny ran his fingertips over the silky smooth skin, marvelling at the size and thickness of Steve's gorgeous cock, running his thumb over the frenulum to make the other man jerk and reach forward to tangle his hands into Danny's hair. He leaned in and licked a wide, wet stripe up the underside from root to tip, and closed his eyes to revel in the sound of Steve swearing and whispering the detective’s name.

Steve moaned as Danny swiped his tongue around his head, throwing his head back when the blonde took him into his hot mouth and began to bob his head, sucking gently but firmly.

“Jesus Christ, Danny… fuck…”

Danny growled happily around Steve's dick, causing vibrations to reverberate into the brunette’s balls, and Steve tugged on his hair a little harder as he looked down on the cop.

“Fuck, you're gonna make me come… not yet, not yet…” He was practically begging, needing to take this further than just a blow job. Steve wanted the intimacy that came with being together, the ability to look into one another's eyes and kiss as they made love. He wanted to give Danny so much more.

Danny withdrew slightly and looked up, locking eyes with Steve as he slid the taller man's cock slowly in and out of his mouth. Steve's expression was beautiful, slack jaw and dark hazel eyes full of lust and amazement.

The SEAL couldn't get over quite how perfect Danny looked with Steve's dick in between his lips, and he ran his fingers through the soft strands of blonde hair before pulling his hips back and regretfully ending the blow job before it became too much.

He reached down and grabbed Danny's biceps, hauling the shorter man to his feet and turning them around before pushing him backward onto the bed. Then he took hold of the detective’s pants and underwear and pulled them from his legs, revealing his deliciously thick, hard cock.

Danny leaned up on his elbows and bit his lip, letting his gaze flow down Steve's solid, sculpted body. He'd seen most of it before with his partner's apparent need to strip to the waist at every opportunity, but now he was fully naked and Danny was finding it difficult to look anywhere else. He was all cut abs and pecs, technicolour tattoos on tanned, smooth skin, with a scattering of battle scars that Danny just wanted to touch and investigate with fingers and tongue.

“God, you're gorgeous,” he whispered, curling his fingers into the sheets in anticipation.

Steve got his knees up onto the mattress either side of Danny's legs and stalked over his best friend's body, rolling his shoulder muscles. Danny was compact, muscular heaven, with dark blonde hair decorating his chest and forming a large triangle which stretched from his wide shoulders and down his to his slim waist. The V-shaped grooves in his hips led down to his pulsing erection, and Steve could fully understand why it was called an adonis belt when it adorned a body like Danny's.

“Not so bad yourself, Danno,” Steve purred, burying his face against Danny's throat to suck on the skin there before kissing and nipping his way down the blonde's torso. “You can book me any time…”

Danny moaned and writhed under Steve's attentions, reaching to scrape his short nails over the SEAL’s shoulders as he moved lower to his chest. He grabbed the short hair at the back of Steve's head and dragged him upward, away from his body, knowing that if he let the brunette get to his destination then he would lose all coherent thought, and if Steve's earlier crack about orders was anything to go by then he wouldn't mind Danny taking a little bit of control.

Steve yelped as Danny suddenly rolled them, his head ending up in amongst the pillows as the cop straddled his thighs and thrust forward, letting their cocks slide along the length of each other.

“Oh fuck,” he gasped, reaching for Danny's ass and kneading the flesh.

The Jersey man reached for the side table, pulling open the drawer and producing a small bottle of lube. Steve watched intently, his jaw lax with lustful awe, as Danny smothered his hand with the slippery gel and reached between their bodies to slide his fingers around both of their cocks together, pumping slowly.

Steve swallowed against his dry throat and made a strangled noise, his hands grasping Danny's gorgeous ass cheeks as he bucked up towards his partner. Danny held himself up with one arm and leaned down over Steve to kiss him tenderly, sliding his tongue in between those soft lips and delving deep while his hand glided up and down their shafts.

Steve couldn't quite believe this was finally happening, and even better that Danny was taking the lead and guiding their pleasure. He let go of the detective with one hand, moving it to join Danny's on their cocks and slow his speed right down. He wanted to savour this moment, enjoy the sensuality of finally just being with his partner, and by the way in which Danny pulled back from the kiss and gazed into his eyes, it was clear it was what he wanted as well.

“God, Steve, I…” Danny began, unable to quite express what he needed to say and casting his eyes down to the SEAL’s chest.

They had wasted so much time, too much, and he hated that fact… but they had needed to reach this breaking point so that they could move forward, he understood that. It wasn't easy for him or Steve to allow themselves to have what they really wanted in life, so unsure that they actually deserved to be happy.

Steve stroked his free hand up Danny's body, brushing over his hip and ribs, under his chest and up his neck to cup his stubbled jaw and tilting his face until their eyes met again.

“I know, Danny,” he whispered, gasping as his friend's thumb passed in a circle over the head of his cock, “Believe me, I know.”

Danny dove in for another kiss, the emotion of knowing that they truly understood each other driving him forward, and together they gradually increased the speed of their hands, their orgasms slowly building deep in their bellies. He could feel his release approaching, that familiar tight feeling in his abdomen intensifying, and he was determined to take Steve over the edge at the same time. They broke apart again, gasping for oxygen before Danny trailed open-mouthed kisses down Steve's jaw and throat. As he licked back up the throbbing artery in the side of the brunette’s neck, he flicked out his tongue and drew Steve's earlobe between his lips and sucked.

Steve groaned and tugged on Danny's hair where his hand was now buried, arching his spine in pleasure. “Oh shit, Danny…”

The cop whined at his name being said that way, thrusting his hips rhythmically to create more friction for them both and feeling the tension in his body begin to give way.

“Come with me, Steve… Fuck, come for me…”

Fireworks went off in Steve's brain, those strained words taking him over the edge of ecstasy and blowing his mind completely.

Danny shouted his lover's name as his brain short-circuited, and he crashed their lips together one final time as they both came in hot lines over their heaving stomachs and chests. His arm gave way and he collapsed on top of his partner, eventually pulling back and trying to catch his breath.

After recovering for a couple of minutes, Steve gently tipped Danny off him to the side, rolling to bring the blonde in close to his chest and hug him tight.

“Well,” Danny managed to murmur after his heartbeat had returned to a normal rhythm, “That was the best ‘thank you’ I've ever received for such a small gift…”

Steve chuckled, squeezing Danny tighter to him and tucking the man's head under his chin.

“It's hardly a small gift,” he sighed, running his fingers down Danny's sweat-slick spine.

The Jersey man frowned and leaned up on his arm, looking down over Steve with curiosity.

“It's just a photo, Steve, albeit in a nice frame… I'll be honest, I didn't spend  _ that _ much,” he grinned.

Steve shook his head and gazed up at his best friend. “It's not just some photo in a frame, Danno…” he mumbled, having to clear his throat, “It's what it represents.”

Danny frowned, confused. “I don't get it.”

Steve sighed, figuring that Danny had opened a vein earlier with his honesty, so Steve could at least do the same.

“You're an amazing father,” he explained, flicking his eyes to the ceiling so that he could get the words out without losing it under Danny's blue gaze, “I don't think you even realise how much you mean to your kids, and how wonderful you are with them… And what's even more special about you is how you share your family so readily. With me and with the ohana. You let us all into your world, me especially, and you allow us to share in the magic that is Grace and Charlie. You share that joy with me and… I can't ever thank you enough for that…”

He swallowed hard and finally looked back at Danny, stunned when he saw the cop's choked-up expression and knowing his own eyes were shiny with the beginnings of tears.

“I've never been gifted a family before…”

Danny opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't quite find the words to express his emotions at that point. Steve was such a beautiful man, and Danny would give him the world if he could. Instead he leaned back down and planted his lips on Steve's, cupping the Navy man's jaw gently and caressing his skin as their tongues entwined.

When they eventually pulled apart Danny pressed their foreheads together, and they both closed their eyes and breathed the same air for a few moments.

“You have  _ always _ been my family, Steven,” Danny whispered, kissing his lover's lips briefly before settling back, “From the moment you picked me up and threw me into the insanity that is Five-0… You saved my life. I didn't stand a chance, there was no way I couldn't love you.”

Steve released a shaky sigh and pulled Danny tighter to him, squeezing his eyes shut until the tears finally fell.

“I love you too.”

Danny pressed his face into the top of Steve's head and breathed in the scent of home, before they both fell into a deep, satiated sleep.

The next thing they knew, Danny's alarm clock was beeping and signalling it was 8am. It took a few moments before Danny remembered it was Christmas day, and even longer to realise that he was being completely enveloped by the long arms of one Steve McGarrett.

He reached out and pressed the button on the alarm to silence it before turning in Steve's embrace to kiss his lips gently.

“Mornin’, sleepyhead,” he smiled, running his fingers through dark hair.

Steve blinked his eyes open slowly and gave his lover a lazy smile before recognition dawned and his eyes widened a little more.

“And there was me, thinking that whole thing was a nice dream,” he mumbled before rubbing at his eyes.

“Sweet talker,” Danny teased. “C’mon, Smoothdog, we gotta get up and shower. The kids’ll be here soon.”

Steve sat up and leaned back on his arms, watching Danny get out of bed and stretch. “You… want me to stay?”

Danny cocked an eyebrow at the SEAL. “You  _ were _ there for that conversation last night, weren't you?” he smiled gently, “Y’know, the bit where I said you were family? You spend Christmas with family.”

Steve let a slow grin slip onto his lips, his heart feeling fit to burst. He'd heard the words Danny had spoken just a few hours before, but he hadn't fully believed it until that moment.

“Yeah, you're right,” he practically leapt out of bed to follow his partner into the bathroom, “ _ My _ family.”

They showered quickly, and Danny dressed while supplying Steve with a pair of his boxers to go under the previous day's jeans, and a t-shirt that hugged his body nicely - and oh, it did certain things to his heart to see that man in his clothes - before the two men made chocolate chip pancakes ready for breakfast when the kids arrived. They finally dropped onto the couch with a few minutes to spare, setting their coffees on the low table in front of them, and Steve threw his arm around Danny's shoulders to draw him close as he glanced over at his gift on the side table.

“Are you sure the kids won't mind me being here?”

Danny chuckled and shook his head, all previous negative thoughts falling away. He knew without a doubt that Grace and Charlie loved Steve, and they would be overjoyed if something developed between him and their Danno which meant spending more time as a unit. They would have to deal with the work stuff when it came to it, but Danny knew they could deal with it.

“As if they ever doubted you'd be here at Christmas,” he grinned, waving a hand at the fireplace.

Steve furrowed his brow, looking in the direction Danny had just indicated, and he felt his chest tighten with emotion. There, hanging off the mantle, were four stockings. Danno, Grace, Charlie… and Uncle Steve.

“The kids put those up a week ago,” Danny explained, shrugging, “I can't say I ever argued against it…” The blonde reached over and squeezed Steve's knee. “I was gonna ask you over today anyway, but then I needed you last night and… you were there for me. Like always.”

Steve pressed his lips together and fought back the tears, despite them being happy ones.

“You know what?” he asked, just managing to keep his voice steady, albeit a little strained at the edges.

“What, babe?”

Steve turned to his best friend and smiled, leaning in to kiss him firmly, letting the meaning flow between them. “I'm never, ever going to be able to match the gift you've given me this Christmas,” he murmured against Danny's lips. 

“You don't have to, Steve,” Danny assured him, smiling into the next kiss before pulling back unhurriedly when the front door burst open and Grace and Charlie exploded into the living room.

Charlie landed in Steve's lap while Grace threw her arms around his shoulders over the back of the couch and squeezed tight.

“Uncle Steve! Danno said you'd be here!” the little boy squeaked, hugging the brunette and snuggling into him.

“Mele Kalikimaka, Uncle Steve” Grace greeted him, kissing his cheek, “Happy Christmas, Danno.’

Danny beamed as he watched his little family embrace one another, and then threw Steve a cheeky grin.

“Feel free to try, though!”

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you thought :) Comments are love! X
> 
> (Oh, and Behind Bars 4 is still in the works! I have a good excuse for the delay, I promise!)


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